Brainrot Memories

Anyone who knows WCSB would know that Chas Smith's and Lonesome Cowboy Dave's BRAINROT RADIO THEATER was one of WCSB's most crowning (literally) achievements. Of course, Lonesome Cowboy Boy still bastardizes THE HOUR OF SLACK, but those original episodes of ultra-bizarroid (and VERY adult, in more ways than one) radio theater -- originally called RAWHIDE RADIO THEATER -- with the misadventures of Cowboy Dave, his 'Injun' shrink Psychopath Finder, and that autistic garbageo-savant Scabby Daze -- not to mention Scabby's imaginary dog Spotty -- were an extravaganza of the ultra-weird, the ultra-lame, and the ultra-funny. Who could forget the Starlight Vista RV Park next to the Toxic Swamp, Sebring State Mental Institution and supersick neo-Freudian Dr. Klaus Trophobia, the Symbolism Police and Nation Of Informers? The Kielbasi Kid and Keeska never plunged to those depths! Add to that the call-in portion of the show after each episode (remember the phone-in invasion from Canada?), and it's no wonder the show became known as 'Brainrot'. Also, considering that this supra-ridiculized nonsense lasted from 1988 until about 1992, that's quite an achievement for radio theater in ANY modern medium. Ergo, I am establishing this thread for all Brainrot devotees to share those beloved and belabored Brainrot memories. So let's get our sack back in the saddle, eh?

Brainrot was brilliant! It was one of the reasons reasons why I wanted to join WCSB. I have rarely seen guys like Lonesome Cowboy Dave, Danny and Chas. Their ability for free association of the most bizzare stuff was inspirational. I still have a bunch of Brianrot cassettes I made back in my "fanboy" days (the Thursday night combo of Brainrot & Wainstead All Night kept my tape deck busy). I was a little sadened when Chas dumped Brainrot and switched largely to playing live music with ESO and doing his Subgenius style talk show- not that it was bad or anything but it sure wasn't Brainrot. Mind you, I did like the ESO jam sessions and Chas allowed me to join in here and there with a drum.

After joining WCSB, I ended up apprenticing with Chas. My first night there he said "the first half hour is yours" and then he walked in to the listening room and hung out with Dave and Danny. I was a little overwhelmed and somewhat freaked out. There was one point when I could not get a cd or a record started. There must have been at least 30 seconds of dead air. It was not one of my finer moments but after a screw-up like that, I realized I would never be perfect on the air and I loosend up big-time. I know that Chas and the boys were laughing their asses off at my struggles though. Well, at least someone was being entertained.

Brainrot was largely inspirational for a lot of the stuff I do with Scruggscorp Syndicated Radio. It really opened my ears to the possibilities that the airwaves presented us for doing something more then spinning punk albums or doing a regular talk show.

Chas also gets mad props from me for his work on the Classical Rotation. I loved listening when he was on. His musical knowledge was spectacular and I felt like I was getting a graduate level class education for free.

Speaking of classes... you can still take Chas' History of Rock 'n' Roll Course at CSU. Sadly, I can't review it since he started teaching it after I graduated. I always did want to take it though.

More kudos for Chas playing with the Pagans and a bunch of other bands whose names I'm forgetting right now.

Here is some real Brainrot trivia: did you know that I actually scripted two episodes of BRAINROT? Neither of them was ever aired, but at least one of them was recorded. Supposedly.
The first one was called 'The House Of Klaus', and mostly took place on an enclosed staircase that kept going up and up and up AND UP! Finally Lonesone, Psycho, and Scabby got chased out of K-Mart by Communist robots programmed to avenge the fall of the Soviet Union while Klaus Trophobia remained amidst those endlessly vacant stairs.
The other episode was even worse: 'The Unbecoming Oft-Men'. In this sorry story, which takes some explaining, the three boils find themselves working with an animal-activist group which consists mostly of escaped mutant lab-animals, including the Healer Monster, the Remote Pussycat, and the Sloth-Mummy; the group is rounded out by a mutant human leftover from the Vietnam War -- Eli from My Lai (get it?). It all involves Scabby being placed under a bell-jar so that Spotty can become an exponentialized member (or more accurately members) of the Oft-Men, and features Psycho Pathfinder as a would-be villain. By the by, they're called the Oft-Men because when they go out to liberate animals from labs, pet stores, and zoos, they OFT disguise themselves as men -- albeit very unconvincingly. And needless to say, Dave winds up in the dumpster at the end.
Now, aren't you glad these were NEVER aired?

Well, I was lucky enough to record maybe forty of the shows. Not all of the tapes I used were long enough to record each entire show, although MOST are indeed complete. A few of them, however, were recorded when 'CSB's transmitter was at low-ebb (some static). I DO have the entire two-part "Reverend Nukem Today Apocalypservice", as well as the the infamous (first) Halloween,Thanksgiving, and Saint Patrick's Day shows. And I presently do have reasonable dubbing technology at my disposal; nothing fancy, but it works. Contact me at baronightwolf@excite.com, and I'll see what I can do for you. I will probably need an OK from Dave and Chas Smith, but if I can't, I'll try to see if one of THEM can help you. Indeed, they can probably do an infinitely better job of it, but I had to offer. That's what a gentleman does. Good luck in any event, and always --

"HARK TO THE BRILLIANCE IN THE DARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sorry, I've been busy. I have to talk to Chas Smith. If he can't help you himself, but gives me the OK, I'll just have you send some blank tapes to me so I can dub the episodes on to them. Is that satisfactory? I should know what to do about a week or so after this print-up. Good luck.

Actually, no. Professor Chas Smith is a very hard man to peg down. I'll keep trying, but it may be best if you call him yourself. I don't know his extension at CSU, but the campus operator can connect you with his office, but you'll probably only get his voice-mail. Good luck.

The Record Exchange Wrote:
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> i took chas smiths rock class when i was a
> freshman back in 2000...was an interesting class,
> for the most part. thats the class i met billy
> club billy in! small world